Clearwater National Championship is a Huge Success

Clearwater, FL (October 2, 2012) – Clearwater, Florida rolled out the smooth white-sand carpet for the 4th Annual Bright House Super Boat (SBI) National Championship and fans had front row seats to the best racing of the season. Team Semper Fi crossed the finish line first with the fastest time followed closely by Team Gasse just three seconds behind. Unbelievable racing and lead-changes in all classes led to some of the best racing action of the year.

The closest points races of the year were in the Super Stock and Super Vee Limited (SVL) classes. The undisputed champion in the SVL class was Team Phantom taking the series title at the end of the day. The Clearwater race winner in SVL was the new entry ‘Team Snowy Mountain Brewery Outerlimits’ owned by Michael Janssen. DuceRods.com took a commanding lead at the start of the race, finished first and took the National Title in the Super Stock class. The unmistakable catamaran class with twin outboards is always one of the most evenly matched and competitive classes in Super Boat Racing.

Sunday’s weather provided perfect Chamber of Commerce conditions for spectators and fans. On the surface, the weather appeared to be ideal for racers with flat-calm conditions, but many of the professional drivers prefer rougher conditions since it tends to separate the more experienced teams. Race boats saw incredible speeds and exciting action in the turns as these colorful boats ripped through the racecourse.

Founder, John Carbonell was very pleased with the event. “Frank Chivas, Brian Aungst and their entire team did a great job promoting the event this year. It was a really good day for everyone as we saw some very exciting racing on the course. Teams did a good job starting together and following the rules while passing in the corners. We were also very happy with the way the new Superboat Class is shaping up. Team STIHL raced with new engines, WHM and Fastboats were here and they have committed to racing Key West under the new rules. I believe we will have a great showing in this class next month in Key West,” comments Carbonell.

Some of the fastest and most exciting racing came from WHM Motorsports, Gasse Racing and Team Semper Fi swapping leads and putting on a show. While the teams are in different classes, fans saw how these big boats really can race… and race fast. “This is the most fun I have ever had racing a boat,” comments Tor Staubo (owner / driver) of Gasse Racing. “I learned a lot today and racing two miles with spectator boats close-by all day was awesome. Super Boat put on a spectacular race and after today… I can’t wait for Key West.”

This year’s event saw exciting crowds at the parade, in the dry pits and on race day. Organizers felt a record economic impact on the community nearing 13 million dollars. This is putting a lot of heads in beds and sparking an already vibrant community. Support was seen everywhere from the community along with Bright House sponsor support, local broadcast coverage, the Mayor’s Office and local celebrity Hulk Hogan, all attending and giving their endorsement.

Racers and families enjoy coming to this coastal community and appreciate the convenience this race site brings. The pits, cranes, hotels and restaurants are conveniently located creating an exciting and memorable event. All the race teams competing for National Championship points enjoyed the trip to Clearwater and appreciated what it has to offer.

Teams accumulating the most points in five of the six National Series races and who competed here in Clearwater were awarded the title of National Champion. In addition to the National Title, teams who earned the most points in races in the State of Florida were awarded the Florida Champion. Results include: Dare Devil (P-4/ National & Florida Champion), Team Kilt (P-3/National & Florida Champion), Zipp Express (P-2 Florida Champion), Instigator (P-1/National & Florida Champion), Phantom (Super Vee Limited/National & Florida Champion), DuceRods.com (Super Stock/National & Florida Champion), Team STIHL (Superboat/Florida Champion), LUCAS Oil/Mav TV (Super Boat Vee Extreme/National & Florida Champion) and Gasse Racing (Superboat Unlimited National & Florida Champion).

If you missed this race, all the action can be seen at new.livestream.com/sbi/clearwater12. The Super Boat racing season starts in the middle of May and runs through the second week of November, culminating with the Key West World Championships in Key West, Florida.

The next race for Super Boat International is the 32nd Annual Key West World Championships on November 4th – 11th. Teams start to arrive at Truman Annex, Sunday November 4th in time for the 4:00 pm Super Boat Parade. Racing will be on Wednesday (7th) and Friday (9th) with the finals on Sunday November 11th. If you miss it and want to watch it online, you can catch it at new.livestream.com/sbi/keywest12.